Always Keep Active

There is a difference between physical activity and exercise. Exercise is actually a type of physical activity that is a planned routine. While physical activity is simply doing activities that increases your physical fitness and overall health.

It is important to stay physically active, which does not always entail going to the gym to exercise. It could simply mean, taking a walk in the park, going for a jog, hiking, skating, playing recreational sports, raking the leaves in your yard, shoveling snow, power washing your house, etc.

Road Trips

​My Fiancé and I love to travel. We are constantly taking road trips on the weekend. Whether the destination is 20 minutes away or hours away; we are always on the move. Being on the road and traveling can make it hard to maintain your healthy lifestyle when the only places to stop at are fast food restaurants. But don’t give in to the unhealthy options. The best way to avoid giving into the processed and greasy foods, is to prep your own food for your trip.

​﻿​If we are going on a long trip, I will stop by the grocery store the day before and meal prep. My Fiancé and I took a trip from Philadelphia to Charleston, South Carolina and I filled up a cooler with foods that we could eat on the way down. It saved us money, time, and our health.

Great road snacks:

​I love cooking soups from scratch, even the broth. I had made some fresh veggie juice out of my juicer the other day and decided to use the leftover pulp to make a broth for my soup. The pulp was made from carrots, apples, ginger, and kale. This is a great way to use up the rest of the fruits and vegetables from your juicer rather then wasting it and throwing it away. And you can make one heck of a meal out of it!

​Potato Garden Mishmash​Cook Time: ​ 1 hour and 45 minutes

Fourth Of July Celebration

What a great holiday, to celebrate the birth of our country, our freedom! Happy Birthday America!

On this day we usually celebrate by visiting friends and family, seeing fireworks at night, and EATING!

I have prepared some healthy Fourth of July food and snacks, that are great to share with everyone!

Red White and Blue Fruit Salad.

With Strawberries and Raspberries for the red; Banannas for the white; and Blueberries for the blue; Topping it off with a bit a cinnamon and mixing it together. This is a great dish that will help nourish your body.

Marinated with a mustard base, and put onto skewers, make it delicious, fun, and healthy to eat. With chicken, Red-Green-Yellow-Orange Bell Peppers, Onions, Pineapple, and Mushrooms.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

These are healthy and easy to make. The sweet potatoes are cut up into small slices, VERY LIGHTLY covered with olive oil to keep from sticking to the pan, and to help keep the moisture in the veggies. And they are seasoned with cinnamon, garlic powder, paprika. MMMMMMM!

These are great, healthy, and delicious foods that can be served at parties! Try it out! Enjoy your Fourth!

Some people may find it difficult to stay active during the day, and may also struggle with a poor diet when working at a job with minimal physical activity. In order to avoid inactivity and poor eating habits -Take your activity and healthy eating habits to work.

1. Bring your Lunch

Bring your lunch. This way you can pack a good portion size, and have foods that you enjoy. This will help you make good food choices.

Find some time the night before work or the morning of to prepare your lunch and snacks for the day or even for the week.

Pack your main course and make sure you also pack snacks that you enjoy.

Many people tend to order delivery, or eat out on their lunch breaks. You want to try to avoid this because you may be eating more unhealthy foods (like fast foods, bad greasy foods, etc.) as well as eating unnecessary large portions..

Sometimes I pack leftovers from the night before, or I cook/prepare something. My main meal may be a salad, pasta, chicken and rice, rice and beans, etc. (I pack whatever I'm in the mood for). I like to add fruits and vegetables as a snack for when I get hungry throughout the day. Sometimes I'll pack nuts, a small bag of dry cereal, crackers etc.

2. Be Active

No matter where you work, in a hospital setting or at a desk in an office, there are ways to stay active.

Stand up - Get up out of your chair and stand up on occasion.

Walk around - Walk around the office whenever you get the chance, this will get your body moving- you don't want to be sitting all day. Moving around, no matter how little or how much is better then nothing.

Take the stairs - Try to avoid taking the elevator and take the stairs more.

Stretch - it is important to stay flexible. If you are sitting around all day, you your leg muscles can tighten up and you will lose flexibility. Try to do some stretches for your hamstrings, quads, glutes, hip flexors, and core.

3. Stay Hydrated

It is very important to consume water throughout the day.

[[ Water helps regulate body temperature, removes waste from the body, participates in carrying nutrients throughout the body, and more. ]]

Keep a water bottle by you at work, so that you can drink the appropriate daily intake.Try to avoid ONLY drinking water when you feel thirsty - That is a sign of dehydration. I like to use a Brita water bottle, because I feel comfortable filling it up anywhere since it has a filter.

The Office WorkOut

Take 10 minutes out of your workday to do a few exercises. You don't have to break a sweat - you just have to move.

Sit and Stand - Stand in front of your chair with your legs shoulder width apart. With your weight on your heels, squat down into your chair. Push down into your heels and pull yourself back into a standing position. 15x

Stair Climb - Walk up and down a flight of stairs in your workplace. Keep your back straight.5x

Side Shuffle - Find a hallway where you feel free to move around. At one end of the hallway, stand to the side with both feet together. Take a side step by abducting one leg to the side, and have the other leg follow with an adduction until your feet are back together. Keep going until you are at the other end of the hallway2-4x

Trip tips

I recently came back from a road trip with my boyfriend. We traveled from Philadelphia, PA to High Point, NC; Charlotte, NC; Hilton Head, SC; and Charleston, SC and finally back to Philadelphia in 5 days. The trip was wonderful and we were lucky to have great weather during our stay, which allowed us to do outdoor activities.

Throughout the trip I realized how easy it could be to veer away from your normal diet and exercise routine. So here are a few tips for traveling that I think are very important.

1. Drink lots of water. Because you are in a new place and on the move traveling, it can be easy to forget about water until you are already dehydrated. Keep a water bottle with you at all times. Fruits and vegetables also put water into your body, so eating these will also help with hydration.

2. Prepare healthy travel snacks. Because you are constantly traveling, it may be tempting to grab the greasy chips. If you are traveling by car, the majority of food options will be fast foods. Preparing your own snacks for the trip will keep you satisfied until you are ready to grab a good meal at the airport or off the highway. You can prepare fruits like, grapes, apples, oranges, bananas, etc. Think of some vegetables that you may like, such as, carrots, celery, tomatoes, etc. Pack yourself pretzels, or multi-grain crackers. Prepare foods that you enjoy and that will help you maintain your diet.

3. Do some sort of physical activity. I know some trips might not be for relaxation and "me-time" but if you can find at least 10 minutes throughout your day to do something it will be better than nothing. Find out what's around your destination area, outdoor or indoor activities. If where you are staying has a gym, there is no excuse to skip exercising for at least 10 minutes.

During our stay at Hilton Head, we found that throughout the island there were bike trails. We rented bikes for three days to go all over the island. This was a great way to see Hilton Head. We took a walk on the beach, and ran 6 miles one morning. While inside the hotel we did some body weight exercises (squats, push-ups, and sit-ups) and while watching T.V. we took our time to stretch our upper and lower extremities as well as our core.

4. When eating out try to avoid sabotaging your diet. I know it's vacation, I know you may not want to cook, I know that you will want to try signature dishes, but this does not mean to forget the way you eat when you are home. I'm not telling you not to dine out, I'm just telling you to dine smart. Don't order a plethora of food that you know you won't be able to finish. If you can't finish your plate, don't force it, take it back to your hotel for leftovers if there is a refrigerator. Eat small bites, and chew slowly so that you have time for your body to tell you it's full. Order water and not a calorie filled drink; try to avoid beers wines and liquor if possible, otherwise try not to have more than one glass. Try to order a dish that has a variety of different foods, like a dish with vegetables, a grain and a meat.

5.Have fun! Make sure you do something you enjoy. If you are on a business trip you want to make sure that you do something for you during your stay. You are in a new environment, and a different place, you should take advantage of this time to enjoy life.

Author

My name is Jenna and I am a Personal Trainer with a dream of motivating and inspiring others to live a healthy and active lifestyle. I live a life full of fun and adventure that I wish to share with all of you through my blog. With advise, tips, and my life stories I hope these posts help to motivate and inspire to begin and/or maintain an exercise program.